Employment Prospects...

How easy was it for your spouse to get a job in the US? I'm worried that because he's doesn't hold any type of qualification it might affect his visa application, etc., and of course job prospects.

Hubby doesn't have a degree, just A-levels from the UK. He currently works for an automatic door installation company as their Business Development and Safety Liaison Officer. He's hoping to get the British Standard 7036 accreditation which covers safety of powered doors for pedestrian use and the guidelines laid down by ADSA (Automatic Door Suppliers Association). BUT this is a UK qualification not a US one. I just want him to be able find work when we finally go over in Spring 2008.

I know I'll easily be able to find a teaching job. I'm more worried about him than me! (Although I admit it's a bit daunting going back, even though it is two years away! I'll have lived in the UK for 7½ years by then. YIKES!)

My husband (UK) said that he thinks your husband will be fine.  But that he needs to understand that the method of getting a job is different here (no Jobcentre, etc).  Also, check the driver's license requirements for the state you plan to move to - the need for a car (unless in a major city) hasn't changed since you left!   

He might want to contact the equivalent association in the US and see if they can tell him anything about getting reaccredited here, or transferring accreditation.

Thanks cap321 that's much appreciated!

 

This is the reason we decided NOT to continue with our visa application...to scared...

My husband is a warrented airport constables....policeman basically..but in the US he would be regarded as nothing more than a Security Guard..I always remember the bad connotations that Security Guards get....

he doesn't carry a gun... he has had all the training the "normal" police get...in the US you need to have CLEET certification and that involves a 6 month training course and in some areas they require a college degree..

So we were very worried about what kind of job he would get when we got there..maybe we are too chicken to even try..but we both have stable jobs here a house of our own and 2 nice cars....unless something disastrous happens I think I am happy to sit here and cluck away...

and the other aspect was the insurance...if your job doesn't give you insurance we were looking at about $800-1500 a month to pay for a family of ........

We're in the process of moving back to the US and hope my husband's visa interview will be sometime in May. Like you, I am a teacher, so I am fairly confident I will get a job...but my husband has a five-year chemical engineering degree from a university in Moscow (originally from Russia) and many years work experience in eastern Europe and here in the UK and I am just worried about throwing away a very good paying job here for who knows what there? As soon as he gets his visa we will start job searching like mad...we want to move back in July. It is a biiiiig leap of faith! (which we have yet to actually do, but hoping we keep our nerve!)

My husband's situation was different, in that he took a job with a UK company 3 months before we immigrated with the sole purpose of moving to the US and starting up the US side of their operations, so he had a job when he walked off the plane - which isn't the norm, I know... sorry I can't be more helpful!!

Hi Aiyana

Has your dh Googled door companies, contractors, state licensing boards, etc in the States? He might get an idea of employment qualifications and then find  similarities with his training. He may also be able to familiarize himself with any differences in terminology that may affect his application.

You may have to help him with terminology though. Differences in vocabulary are just as bad if not worse in skilled trades.  When I read jobcentre listings, I am often totally at a loss to know exactly what the heck thay want, even though I have done that kind of work for twenty years. ( I started when I was 1) 

You also might try ringing up a company if you can find one on the 'net and asking if he could have an informational interview with HR even if they don't have any openings. Then you would have first hand info, and who knows? Might get lucky. Jobwise.

Good luck!

hiya, just wanted to say that we will also be moving back to the US in spring of 2008!

my husband is in somewhat of a similar situation. although he will be getting a bachelors in surveying/building control here in the uk in 2007, it doesnt quite equate in the US. so he is going to be stuck doing cad drafting jobs when in the uk he could in building control for a council.  luckily, the money is still good for drafting in america so it wouldnt be that big of a deal, hes just more upset about having a degree and then not be able to use it to its full advantage.

im in the mortgage industry so i shouldnt have trouble finding a job. (its not that different country to country)

but yeah, i would definitely look into some companies in the US that do something similar to the one your husbands does now and try to email or phone them with questions. you might be surprised to find that he wouldnt have trouble at all.

where will you be moving back to?  we will be going back to my hometown in arizona.

Hi Karenn! That’s wonderful. What made you decide to go back? Spring 2008 is the goal. I needed to set a date so I can look forward to it and it’s more fathomable. How long have you been in the UK? I really can’t believe I’ve been here for 5½yrs now. The time has definitely flown by. I know how your husband feels. I felt quite jilted about my AA degree being work more or less nothing when I came over, even though it equates to the first 2 years of university. The UK doesn’t see it like that; well I think it depends on the university too. When I came over I had 3 yrs of university and that’s all been wasted (but not entirely because it was a learning experience). It was a good thing that I had admin/secretarial experience so I could get a job (even though I do hate it!).

My husband was in insurance with Churchill Insurance and then later with Royal London before they shut down his branch. It didn’t get a chance to do any of his financial advising qualifications either. Now he works for a small door company his friend owns in Hartlepool.

I'm originally from Palatka, Florida, which is not my favourite place to be or live. (I slate it to no end, but I did have brilliant high school teachers). Plus, I can't hack the Florida heat. I have acclimatised somewhat to the British weather, although I'll never get used to the cold! LOL. I would love to live in Asheville, North Carolina or Charlottesville, Virginia, but it really depends on where we get jobs. I'd want to stay on the east coast, though.

Karenn/Jetlag: I’ve looked into the bigger door companies and there are a few who have US branches, so I think I might email them and ask for info on jobs, etc. That’s a brilliant idea though so thanks for the suggestion!

Jetlag: thanks for the tip about the terminology, too. I know I had a difficult time with some British terms, even with the food. Dh sent me to the shops to pick up courgettes and aubergines. When I found the courgettes, I was like "that's a zucchini!" I couldn't for the life of me find an aubergine. Only a few weeks after did dh show me what they looked like. I said "that’s an eggplant!"